Is your legal team hindering your social media success? Is someone redlining every blog post, tweet, and comment you compose, costing you valuable time, sterilizing your messages, and taking the “social” out of “social media?” In a court of law, is there really a difference between the words “I’m sorry” and “I regret?” Join a panel of career apologists and apologetic lawyers to understand what the legal risks of saying “I’m sorry” really are, how companies like Southwest Airlines get away with it every day, and how to craft an air-tight apology.
Senior Editor at Consumerist.com, where he covers everything from health care reform to fast food to the mortgage crisis. Has also written for Huffington Post, Advertising Age, Time.com, USA Today, numerous celebrity websites and magazines... and Hamptons Cottages & Gardens. Has appeared on BBC News, CNBC and countless radio programs. Graduate of the University of Virginia's School of Architecture. The author of two books published by Simon & Schuster, including Hardly Working: The Overachieving Underperformer's Guide To Doing As Little As Possible In The Office. Owner of a KISS bowling ball.
Dan is in-house counsel at Mayo Clinic and the legal advisor for Mayo Clinic’s industry-leading social media efforts, including the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, and the Center’s Social Media Health Network, and is also a member of the Center’s Advisory Board. Dan is also the Chair of Mayo Clinic’s business law practice group which oversees the corporate law, contracting and intellectual property functions of the Mayo Clinic legal department. His practice includes advising in the areas of business transactions, virtual medicine and e-health, privacy, copyright and trademark, and print and web publishing. Dan is a frequent speaker on the topic of social media legal issues, particularly in the area of healthcare.
Dan graduated from UCLA in 1985 with a BA in English, and from the University of Virginia School of Law with a JD in 1988. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic in 2001, Dan practiced with the Jenner & Block and Pattishall, McAuliffe law firms in Chicago.
In his spare time, Dan and his family are avid travelers, and have visited over 40 countries. His two teenage children are fond of pointing out that since their recent trip to Peru they have now thrown up on 6 continents.
Mayo Clinic is one of the largest private healthcare providers in the world, employing over 40,000 people at facilities in Minnesota, Arizona, Florida and Wisconsin.
You can learn more about the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media at http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/
Fred Taylor, Jr.
Senior Manager
Proactive Customer Service
Southwest Airlines
Keeping a finger on the pulse of Southwest Airlines’ daily operations and making sure their Internal and External Customers are on the same page is a way of life for Fred Taylor, Jr. As the Senior Manager of Proactive Customer Service Communications, Fred is charged with shepherding a unique approach that has its roots firmly embedded in one of the Company’s Core Values—The Golden Rule.
Fred and his Proactive Customer Service (PCS) Team of four are responsible for coordinating timely information, guidance, and support during disruptions of Southwest’s scheduled service. Working with 14 other departments, the PCS Team explores new ways Southwest can operate more efficiently; provide more-effective communications; and implement better Customer accommodations. The PCS Team’s efforts are directly tied to the Company’s cost management, revenue production, and Customer goodwill initiatives; and the results of their proactive work have been (and continues to be) featured in over 50 print, television, and Internet media including: Business Week, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, NBC, CBS, and Fox TV.
When Fred is not busy working alongside his Southwest family, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Julie, and their four children. Fred was born and raised near Louisville, Kentucky; and he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Louisville. Like many from the Bluegrass State, Fred possesses a deep passion for Thoroughbred racing and smooth Kentucky bourbon. In his “spare time,” Fred created and manages a Thoroughbred horseracing partnership—Mojo Racing Partners. Fred applies the same fundamental business practices that he learned at Southwest Airlines to help make his racing partnership a successful experience.
To Fred, being proactive means practicing what you preach. As such, through effective internal and external communication/action, Fred and his Team helps Southwest Airlines prudently manage its information, services, and available resources. And, in the same light, these fundamental principles carry over to Fred’s personal life and hobbies too!
Paula Berg is the Digital Media Leader at Linhart PR, a national public relations and corporate communications counseling firm based in Denver, CO, where she specializes in social media strategy, integration, infrastructure, and crisis management. Paula earned her social media stripes at Southwest Airlines, where she served as the company’s first Manager of Emerging Media, responsible for the development of the airlines’ now acclaimed online communication and social media strategy. She also led the airline’s six-person emerging media team, with the goal of integrating social media into every internal and external communication efforts to support company objectives and meet customer expectations. Under her leadership, the airlines’ blog, “Nuts About Southwest,” was named Best Blog by PR News in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and has been cited in countless publications ranging from Wired magazine to the Wall Street Journal for providing a community for loyal Customers, serving as a virtual focus group, and influencing several business decisions. Prior to her work in social media, Paula was a company spokesperson with emphasis on media relations and reputation management. Paula also supervised on-location production of Airline!, Southwest’s reality series for the A&E Television Network.
